Apparatus for recovering quicksilver from its ores



HENRY W. G-OULD, F BANYFRLNCISCO; CALIFORNIA.

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1 Patented oet. 7, 191e.

Original application Med December 8, 1917, loria! No. $05,059. Divided andthil application niet! Icy $9,

- 101B. Serial ll'o. 885,965.

condensing the ciicksilver va r liberated from1 the cre an collecting e condensed meta i An object of theinvention is to rovide an apparatus for condensing the quic silver vapor into a coalescent mass.

The invention p other advantageous features, some of which', with the foreing, will be set forthl at le h in the folowinghgescription where I l outline in full, t t form of the apparatus which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and formngart of the present speclicatlon. In said awings` I ave shown two specific forms of the apsaratus of my invention but it is to be unerstood that I do not llmit myself to such form, the' invention, as expressed claim, may be embodied in a plurality `o forms. p

Referring to Asaid drawings: Figure 1 is aside elevation of one form of the apparatus of my invention part thereof being roken away to reduce the e. 2 is a plan or top view of the apparatuss owninFig.1. y

Fi 3 is a side elevation of a portion of a modi formv of apparatus. l

Heretofore, as far4 as I am aware, the lqu'icksilver vapor from the roasting 4furnace has been conducted to a series of lar co`ndensing chambers, usually made o brick,

wherein the quicksilver condensed in relatively small articles which djd not coalesoe so that fufrt er treatment ofthe condensed mass'was n Quicksilver ore usu-v ally contains sulfur, which is converted into sulfuric acid in the roasting process and this acid coalts the small quicksilve'r particles when condensation occurs and ,deters the coalescence of the particles. The products of combustion from the furnace are ccminthe` siaeoftheinIFigp.A p Extending intothe conduit 7, 'lg

' t they chamber 6, isan a r ipo duit inthe same direction as the mingledvwith the vapor and deposited in the condensing chambers with the quicksilver formin a sooty mass.

In accor ance with 'the process of m invention, the quicksilver vapor, or a arge proportion Tof it, is condensed and recipitated in a coalescent form before t e condensin chamber is reached 'This is accomplish 'by iiowing the vapor, gases and other products discharged from the furnace, through a conduit and introducing a stream of air into 'the conduit in the direction of the stream therein. The introduction of .the air causes a condensation and precipitation of ,the quicksilver yvapor, and by directing the air in the same'direction as the as stream, the furnace draft is increased an other materials, such as soot, in the gas` stream, are prevented from precipitating and mixing with the condensed uicksilver. The condensed quicksilver coa esces and the conduit ispreferabl inclined sopthat the qucksilver runs from.- t e conduit and is collected.

The duioksiler ore' is roasted in any suitable `furnace 3 and the products of roasting and combustion from the furnace into the chamber 4. chamber 4 the p ases and vapors ass thro h the downwa y-inclined conduit into 4c bottom of the chamber 6'.y From the chamber-6, the and vapors pass into the inclined 'co uit 7, preferably formed of terracotta or tile pipe, which 'lopers at its end into the 8. e conduit 7 is' relativelf long and slopes upward, asshown ad] whi e con# p 4 How*- ing therein. under pressure 1s su plied to the pipe 9by a blowerg12 or other evice.

r causes a condensation of the quicksilver vapor in the conduit 7, which sprecipitates and {iows from the conduit into the chamber 6in the construction shown in directs'a stream of air into 1' and'into the tank 8, in the construction shown in Fig. 3. The lighter va7pors .an soot, g through the conduit are carrie'd g` and preventedfrom recipitating "by the draft thro the conduit, soV that the silver particles do notV recipitating qui' Eecome coated or contaminated, but coalesce nd the coalescent mass flows from the conuit.

m the upper. 4im* 0f the i The gases and va rs after passing through the conduit pass in lsuccession through a series of tanks 8, 13, 14 and thence to the stack 15, the successive tanks being preferably arranged at successively higher evels, 'to assist the stack in lproducin the req uired draft. Scot, sulfurlc acid an quicksllver are deposited in the successive tanks, some of the quicksilver coalescing and settling to the bottom and seme of it remaining in small particles in the mass of tanks are preferably provided -with sioping bottoms so that the uiclil'ver which coalesces therein may be rawn off. The sooty mass is removed and treated to recover the tllicksilver therein. The larger portion of t e qucksilver, however, is preclpitated in the conduit by the admission of the air stream and Hows from the conduit in coalescent form.

In Fi 3 of the drawings there is shown a modi ed form of my invention. In this form the products of combustion from the furnace 13 pass into the lower end of a chamber 14 through the conduit 15 and fromthis chamber pass into a downwardly inclined conduit 16 formed of terra cotta soot. The

pipe or pi of like material. rlhis pi or conduit 1 opens into a closed tank 1 A blower 18 ismounted on the chamber 14 and through a p1 19, which discharges into the up r end o the conduit 16, fumes air into sai conduit. In all res ects as to construction and operation this orm is the same as the preferred form save that the conduit 16 is downwardly instead of upwardly inclined.

I claim:

An apparatus for recovering quicksilver from its ere, com rising a furnace in which the ore is roasted an inclined conduit communicating with the vapor discharge end of the furnace, a chamber receiving at lts lower end products of combustion from said conduit and be` directly connected near its upper end witg said conduit, and means for introducing a 'stream of air under pressure into the conduit in a direction away from the furnace.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand at San Francisco, California, this 9th day of May, 1918.

HENRY W. GOULD.

H. G. Pnos'r. 

